If
you've been reading my previous articles, you already know your niche
and target market. You know how to reach them, and how to
research what they need.

Now,
following your research, you know what problems they have.
So, what's next - how exactly do you exploit your new-found market
knowledge?

The
answer to that is that you create solutions to your clients'
problems. But how do go about doing that? Read on
to find out.

Creating
Solutions

As
you've undertaken your market research, you'll know the biggest
problems faced by your target market. Take those problems and
examine them - which ones come up over and over again?

As
you read the list of problems, the resolutions to some problems may be
obvious. And the answers to others will be more complex and
non-obvious. Shall we deal with the obvious solutions first?

Obvious
Solutions

Solutions
may be obvious because the solution really is easy, or because you've
come across the problem before, and have a solution. Either
way, you'll be able to write down the steps for the solution.

If
you can effectively communicate those steps to a client, you
potentially have a saleable product or service. This could be
in the form of, say, an ebook, an article, a presentation or training
course, a workbook, an audio or coaching services.

Incidentally,
don't dismiss obvious solutions – some solutions you are used
to implementing may not be so obvious to your clients. They
may be very grateful for your solution, and be willing to pay for it.

Non-obvious Solutions

Then
there are problems to which you don't have a solution, and/or the
solution is non-obvious. These are areas where you'll need to
do some work.

You
can use your own resources to solve the problem. Or
you can engage the skills, experience and knowledge of other people who
have come across the problem before.

Solving it yourself

There
are many approaches to problem solving and solution creation that vary
in complexity.

I've
found the work of W. Edwards Deming and his problem solving tools to be
invaluable in solving complex problems. In Deming's approach,
you work to find the root cause of a problem and eliminate it.

But
often such a structured approach is not required for straightforward
problems.

Often,
if we define the problem effectively, we are half way to the
solution. Martin Roberts, in his book "Change
Management Excellence" argues the need for a "Well-Formed
Problem". This involves obtaining a clear and concise
definition of the problem. The approach to obtaining a
Well-Formed Problem is available online via Wikipedia or via Martin's
book "Change Management Excellence".

Once
you have a clearly defined problem, it's much easier to see what type
of solution is likely to resolve the problem.

Using Other People

Another
approach to solving problems where there is a non-obvious solution is
to use other people. Here, you find people who have already
solved your problem and have a solution that you can use.

When
dealing with problems that have non-obvious solutions, you may find
that ready-made solutions may be of help. But you're just as
likely to find that other people have ways of creating solutions with
which you were unfamiliar.

Look Outside
Your Own Field

Solutions
or approaches from other disciplines are especially fertile areas to
raid to create products or services for your target market.
This is where it pays to read widely and mix with people from different
disciplines and industries.

So
you might want to spend an afternoon in a large bookshop, looking
through books from other disciplines. You might want to take
a contact from another discipline out for a coffee and talk over your
problems. You might want to join a MasterMind Group.

Whichever
way you choose, you are likely to expose yourself to novel, creative
approaches to problem solving that you can use to create products and
services for your target market.

Summary

This
article has outlined a number of approaches to create products or
services for your target market that solve problems they
experience. Whether you tackle obvious or non-obvious
solutions, I've shared some problem solving strategies that can benefit
you and your target market.